


You're On!

by TheDarkestDandelion



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angry Clarus Amicitia, Angry Gladiolus Amicitia, Back Pain, Comfort, Doctors appointments, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fake Pregnancy, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Good Parent Clarus Amicitia, Help, Iris Amicitia Is In Trouble, Lies, Loss of Trust, Love, Mentions of Underage Sex, Mentions underage sex, Minor Clarus Amicitia/Regis Lucis Caelum, Morning Sickness, Multi, Not really though cause Iris is faking it, Panic, Protective Clarus Amicitia, Protective Gladiolus Amicitia, Smart Iris Amicitia, Supportive Clarus Amicitia, Teen Pregnancy, Training, Worry, proving a point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:36:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25137025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkestDandelion/pseuds/TheDarkestDandelion
Summary: Iris is left frustrated when, yet again, Gladio has pulled the wool over their father eyes. But whenever she tries to step a foot out of line, Clarus is the first to call her out on it. Iris is sick of it and her annoyance only becomes stronger when her brother doubts her ability to ever be able to fool their father.Well, they would soon see about that, wouldn't they....
Relationships: Clarus Amicitia & Gladiolus Amicitia & Iris Amicitia, Clarus Amicitia/Regis Lucis Caelum, Gladiolus Amicitia & Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 15
Kudos: 27





	1. Do Not Underestimate

**Author's Note:**

> If you read the tags you will already know what Iris has planned.... 
> 
> This fic is not meant to be taken seriously, it is just a something that popped into my head and I thought it would be fun to write. XD
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the drama that this fic will surely turn into XD

“How the hell did you get away with that?!” 

Iris demanded as she burst into her brother’s room without an invitation.

Gladio grinned, turning the page of his novel. “Cause I know exactly what to say to him.” 

“It’s not fair! I can’t even go out shopping without telling dad or Jared where I am going!” Iris exclaimed, words getting more fiery as she sat at the end of her brother’s bed in a huff. 

Gladio brought a girl back last night, which he was not under any circumstances meant to do, and despite the fact their dad had heard a woman’s voice last night, Gladio managed to convince Clarus he was watching porn. He got a telling off for having the volume too loud and was told to use headphones next time but Iris couldn’t believe this! How in all of Eos did the Lord Shield, Clarus fucking Amicitia fall for that?! He never fell for anything with her. But no, when it came to his precious son, who was meant to be the next shield, Gladio could get away with anything! It was so unfair! The beyond forbid that Iris had a friend who happened to be a boy! Clarus did a full background check on the poor dude before Iris was even allowed to hang out with them again! It made Iris so angry! They should be treated equally! They were both Amicitias, it didn’t matter if there was an 8 year difference between them, they were both his children and Iris expected the same leeways and blindeyes that Clarus gave to Gladio. 

Gladio laughed. “That is because you are dad’s little princess. He doesn’t want anything bad happening to you.”

“I am 15! Not a baby.” Iris pouted, huffing and puffing away. All she wanted was a little independence that’s all. Was that so much to ask for? 

“Guess what squirt, you and I, are always gonna be his babies.” 

“But he treats you differently to me!” 

“That’s because I am gonna be Shield, I’m older and… it is just dad’s old ways. I don’t think it and I don’t think dad knows he is doing it half the time, but you are a girl and subconsciously he feels you need more protection, that’s all.” Gladio explained, sitting up so he could talk to his sister properly.

“I don’t need protecting, Gladdy.” Iris insisted. “I am a skilled fighter. I lasted longer in a fight against Cor than all of the new recruits in the guard did! And I nearly kicked dad’s arse!” 

“Yeah, I know that and so does dad-”

“Then what have I got to do in order to show dad that I am capable and I don’t need him to helicopter parent me!” 

Iris rolled her eyes, knowing that if she went to talk to her dad about this it would probably end in them falling out. He was stressed at the moment, with Regis’s health and the council and the war, just everything. Everything was stressing her poor dad out but he could still find time in his day to pick out every little thing she did wrong. Parents for you. They were so bloody annoying! 

“He’s going to do that with you until the day he dies I am afraid.” Gladio laughed. 

“Well I wish he wouldn’t!” Iris raised her voice in an angry tone. 

Gladio shook his head and ruffled his sister’s hair as he began to mock her. “Besides even if you tried squirt, dad would know you were up to no good. You can’t fool him like I can.”

Iris scoffed as she smacked her brother’s hand away. “You wanna bet?! I bet I can fool dad and it will top anything that you have ever been able to get past his nose!” 

“Sure it will Iris…” 

Gladio sniggered as he picked up his novel again and laid back down on his bed, ignoring his sister as she sat there fuming.

Iris stood up, refusing to look upon her brother anymore, and stormed out slamming the door shut behind her. In a fury she ran to her room, passing Jared on her way ignoring his worried expression and words of comfort, and locked the door behind her. So not only did her dad think she was incapable of looking after herself, but Gladio did too. Jared probably agreed with the pair of them as well. Well she’d show them. She’d show them that she could pull a fast one over everyone’s eyes! She was an Amicitia for Bahamut’s sake. She could think of something… she was smart, definitely smarter than her brother was, that’s for sure-

Bingo!

She knew exactly what to do!

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Iris had complained to him about their dad and since then Gladio felt something was off with her… he couldn’t put his finger on what it was but Iris seemed different somehow. She was her usual upbeat, ready-to-punch-you-in-the-face, self but… she wasn’t talking to him as much as she used to. In fact, she was going to bed earlier than normal and shutting herself away in her room. That wasn’t like her, not one bit. And Jared had noticed something odd about her behaviour too. She was tired all the time but she wasn’t sleeping. Gladio only knew this because he had overheard Iris and Jared discussing it one morning when he had to run out of the door to get to work and he couldn’t help but worry about her. When he asked her if she was okay and if anyone was giving her any trouble - cause being her big brother that was the first conclusion he came to - she told him she was fine, that he worried about her too much. Of course, she insisted there was nothing to worry about but… Gladio couldn’t help it. He was so concerned for his sister’s welfare that it started to affect his training. 

“What’s up?” Noctis asked, sitting next to Gladio as they took a quick 5 minute water break. 

“Iris.” Gladio said, there was no point in lying. He would end up telling Noct sooner or later anyway. “She has been distant recently.”

“I noticed that too.” Noct confirmed, worry leaking into his voice. 

“Really?” Gladio asked, getting more concerned by the second. If Noctis had noticed it then Gladio knew there was a reason to be worried. The Prince had never been one for being observant. 

“Ummm. She, y’know, hasn’t been on King’s Knight much and I have hardly seen her around the Citadel. And she hasn’t asked to come over to my apartment lately or asked to hang out with Prom and I.”

“She hasn’t been talking to me much either and I live with her.” 

Noct tapped his water bottle on the floor and said lowly. “Is she having any friendship trouble? Or school trouble? Or... boy trouble?” 

Gladio shook his head. “I don’t know Noct. Like I said she won’t talk to me. All I get is a ‘hello’, ‘how’s your day been’ and ‘good night’ from her now. It’s odd.” 

“No kidding.” Noctis muttered, standing up, stretching the muscles in his back. “You never know it could just be ‘girl’ stuff.”

“What are you on about Princess?” Gladio asked, in a gruff voice, debating whether or not to just take Noct back to his apartment now. They were both too tired and too worried to train today.

“You know? Like… their monthlies? I don’t know Gladio. I am not a girl. It was just a suggestion.”

“Of course, you’d think that is the problem. Considering you are a Princess after all.” Gladio smirked, reaching over to his bag before standing up. 

Gladio couldn’t help but laugh when Noctis pushed him as hard as he could in the chest and he hardly moved him at all. The Shield watched closely as the Prince’s face turned red, he watched him pick up his own bag and storm out shouting at the top of his lungs. 

“I am not speaking to you again!”

“Do you want a lift back to your apartment or not?” Gladio called out after him.

There was a brief pause before Gladio heard a bin being kicked over and about 5 seconds later the Prince emerged in the doorway and gave him a single nod. Gladio couldn’t help but snigger as the pair walked to the car, oh he did love to wind Noct up. 

On the drive to Noct’s apartment the pair discussed in more detail Iris’s behaviour. The more and more they talked about it, the more concerned they became. Also, Gladio had noticed that she had been on her phone a lot more than usual but whenever he asked who she was talking to, apparently it was no one. That didn’t sit right with him one bit and she kept going to the toilet a lot… When he told Noct that detail, Noctis repeated that it could just be that time of the month. Maybe he was right. When he dropped Noctis off it gave Gladio more time to think. He came to the conclusion that he’d talk to Jared about it. He was probably the best person to help with all of this. He would have told Clarus but he was a little tired and too stressed at the moment to be dealing with this type of stuff. But if Jared thought it was serious enough he could speak to his dad about it. 

As soon as Gladio got into the manor, he went straight to the kitchen to find Jared; it was dinner time after all. When he got in ear shot of the door he heard Iris’s voice. 

“That’s okay. I don’t really want cup noodle today.”

Gladio’s eyes widened in horror. 

Iris did not just say that! 

He hurried over towards the kitchen, stepped foot in the door and once inside, Gladio noticed the troubled look on Jared’s face straight away. 

“Are you sure, Lady Iris? Your father has said that you and Gladiolus could have your favourites for dinner this evening.” 

“Positive. I’d rather have bolognese instead if that is okay.” Iris chirped, before turning around to greet her brother. “Hey, Gladdy.”

Gladio didn’t greet her back. He walked straight over to where she was standing and placed his hand to her forehand. She didn’t have a fever. She did feel a little cold though.

“Nice to see you too brother.” Iris laughed, pushing him away from her. “You’re back early.” 

“Noct and I couldn't be bothered to train.” Gladio explained quickly before looking over towards their butler. “Jared, we would like 2 cup noodles please. Mushroom for her.” 

“No, I don’t want one.” Iris said, shaking her head.

“But you love cup noodles! And dad is letting us have them!” 

“Only because he had to work overtime tonight and he feels bad that he can’t get home on time to talk to us. Anyway, the thought of having cup noodles is making me feel sick. So I’ll have the bolognese. Thanks Jared.” 

Iris said before leaving the pair in the kitchen and nothing had to be said between the two. They were both thinking it. Something was not right. Iris would never willingly turn down cup noodles or say that the thought of them made her feel sick. Maybe she was ill. And that comment about their dad not being here troubled Gladio. Yeah, it was a little crap that Clarus was hardly ever here but they had grown up with that being their norm. Not once had Iris ever complained about it. 

“Don’t worry Lord Gladiolus. I will call your father later.” Jared assured him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“Ummm… I hope it is nothing serious.” Gladio said, feeling very disheartened that Iris didn’t want to speak to any of them about her troubles and worries that he was now thoroughly convinced she had. 

“We will keep an eye on and do all we can for her.” Jared said, walking over towards the back to tell the cook what was happening tonight. 

“Yeah.” Gladio agreed. “Jared I’ll do that. You go see Talcott.” 

“Thank you Gladiolus.” 

Gladio saw the cook and waited until Iris’s food was ready before making his cup noodle. He thought maybe if he tried to engage in conversation with her, he might pick up on something that no one else had. If he mentioned one of her friends' names, she might get mad or upset and then Gladio may have something to work with. That way he and Jared wouldn’t have to worry Clarus over it cause Gladio would sort it out in 10 seconds flat. Iris may be able to look after herself and was quite a fiery person but everyone needed support now and then. Gladio was going to be the one that gave it to her. Once her dinner was laid up, Gladio retrieved her from her room and ate with her. She was talkative enough and she didn’t so much as raise her voice when he brought up a few of her friends. Maybe he had to try a different angle? Before he could think of anything Iris asked one of the footmen over to the table.

“Hey Tom, can I have some grapes please?” Iris asked politely. 

Their footman left without question and Gladio could not help but be disgusted by her request. 

“Grapes?! Grapes with a bolognese?!” Gladio raised his voice.

“Yeah…” Iris replied, like it was the normalest thing in the world. 

“What planet are you living on? First you don’t want cup noodles and now you want grapes with your dinner!” 

“I can want grapes, Gladdy. It is healthier than cup noodle anyway.” 

Gladio narrowed his eyes as Tom came back and placed a plate of grapes next to Iris’s bowl. She thanked him and dipped one of the green grapes into her food before popping it into her mouth. 

Iris hummed in delight. “That tastes so good.”

“No it doesn’t.” Gladio argued back, suddenly finding himself unable to eat his cup noodle. Iris was fucking weird. Who would ever want that weird combo to eat?

“You don’t know, you haven’t tried it.” Iris smiled, eating another grape covered in bolognese.

* * *

“Clarus? Clarus?” 

Clarus groaned upon hearing Regis’s voice. He opened his eyes and saw the King towering over him smiling away.

“Does someone need to go home now?” 

Clarus let go a massive yawn as he sat up, shaking his head at his king. “No. I am good. What time is it?” 

“I think you should. It’s half 11 you should have finished work over an hour ago.” 

“And you’re up? It’s a miracle.” Clarus laughed, rubbing his arm. He hated falling asleep at his desk, he always leant on his arm and made it go dead. 

“I know right. I deserve a star!” 

Clarus rolled his eyes at Regis’s childish behaviour and decided to ignore him. He quickly got his phone out of his desk drawer to check if anyone had called him or texted him while he had been asleep. Both Cor and Drautos had been complaining all day about doing joint training with the guards and glaives tomorrow so he was bound to get a few angry texts from them. He rubbed his eyes and the first thing that caught his attention was 2 missed calls from Jared. That was never a good sign. Dread rooted itself in his stomach at the thought that maybe something had happened to either one of his children, or even to poor little Talcott. However, that was unlikely to be the case. Regis would have told him by now if it was and it was far too late to call Jared. Thankfully, Jared had sent him a text. 

_ Good Evening Lord Amicitia,  _

_ I gather you are busy working but if you have a moment tomorrow I would like to discuss Lady Iris with you. Lord Gladiolus and I are a little troubled over her recent behaviour. I wouldn’t worry too much M'lord, she doesn’t appear to be ill. We think she might be distressed, perhaps over school or something. If you need me to put any worries you may have to rest, please do not hesitate to call me. If not I will speak with you tomorrow.  _

_ Have a good night, M’lord.  _

Clarus twitched as he felt his chest tighten. None of that sounded good at all. 

“Clarus? Are you alright?” Regis asked, seeing the change of demeanour in his friend. 

Clarus rubbed his temple and went over the text again before saying plainly. “It’s Iris. I think there is something troubling her.”


	2. Papa-Bear Clarus Amicitia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so so sorry that this got left on the backbench like that!!! 
> 
> That was so rude of me to leave it behind! And thank you to SugarNea for pointing out how long I have left it! Honestly, I had kinda forgotten this existed until I saw your comment, so thank you so much!!! 
> 
> Anyway because I have been away for a little sorting out a move and loss internet, I have decided to upload this and new story tonight! 
> 
> So please enjoy my lovelies! :)

Clarus sat in the dining room waiting for his children to come downstairs. Regis had said not to bother coming in today - for Regis was more concerned about Iris then his own safety - and he was more than happy to deal with the council by himself. Besides, he had guards, glaives, Cor and Drautos to look after him; he couldn’t be in safer hands with Cor the Immortal hanging around him like a bad smell. Clarus was incredibly grateful to Regis for allowing him to do this and it also meant that the Shield could have a proper conversation with Jared before either one of his children woke up. What his butler told him was unsettlingly and like everyone else he could not put his finger on his daughter’s strange behaviour. How Clarus missed his late wife, Erica, in these moments. She’d be so much more equipped to deal with these types of things than he and she’d know exactly what to say… but she wasn’t here anymore and Clarus had to sort this out before it became serious. Or heaven forbid, more serious than it already was… 

What Clarus took away from all this was that Iris could be struggling mentally, depression perhaps? If that was the case it was much better to nip it in the bud before it escalated any further and get her help. He had been trained to look for signs of mental illness within the guard and glaive so talking to her was the best course of action. 

“Dad? Daddy!” 

Upon hearing his daughter's voice he smiled in her direction and opened up his arms to give her a hug, to which she gladly accepted. “Good morning, sweetheart.” 

“Morning! Are you okay? You’re late for work, aren’t you?!” Iris said, pulling away from him giving him a perplexed look.

“Regis gave me the day off so I thought I would spend time with you and Gladio.” 

“Awesome! I’ll go wake him up!” Iris squealed, dashing out of the room to go and retrieve her brother. 

Her excitement warmed his heart yet he was confused at the same time. 

Iris didn’t seem withdrawn or tired to him. If anything she was acting like she was high- she better fucking not be high! 

_ No, Clarus don’t be stupid. _ Clarus told himself, settling down further into his chair, coming to the conclusion that because he was here Iris was more than likely trying to hide how she was truly feeling. After all, his children were a godsend to him and were so independent. In the past, if they had problems they would try and sort it out themselves or go to Jared for advice. Only when they got really stuck would they confide in him. In a way, that made Clarus incredibly sad. He was their dad, after all, they should feel they could come and talk to him about anything no matter what it was or what time of day it was. He was 100% to blame for that he was more than aware of that. Today, he was going to rectify his mistakes and after breakfast, a family meeting was in order. 

“See Gladio! I am not lying! Dad is here!” 

Clarus smiled when he saw both his children walking into the dining hall. 

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Gladio huffed out, joy present on his face, which turned into a knowing smirk. “What did you  _ do  _ to the King for you to get the time off, hey dad?” 

Clarus narrowed his eyes at his son. That certainly was not appropriate talk for the dinner table. “If you must know Gladiolus he was the one that suggested I take the day off to spend it with my children.” 

“ _ Sure _ he did.” Gladio laughed winking at his dad, arms crossed over his chest as he took his seat next to him. 

“Gross Gladdy!” Iris scolded, sitting across from her brother at the table. “You’re one to talk anyway. Tell me, what is the name of this girl I saw sneaking out of the house last night?” 

Clarus held back a laugh as he side-eyed his son who was glaring at Iris with rage. Oh, he had missed their endless bickering. He should really be mad at Gladio for breaking one of his few rules, but he was going to let it slide this once. After all, he was here to spend time with his children and not give them a rollicking. 

Breakfast was laid out before them, and because Clarus was here for a change, the three were given such a variety to pick from. Sausage, eggs, bacon, cheese, toast, cereal, porridge, beans, black pudding, the whole shabang! It all looked amazing. Before Jared left, Clarus insisted that he was to take some for himself so that he and Talcott could have a share in this wonderful feast. Jared thanked him, took his fill and left, leaving Clarus and his children alone. Now it was time to get to the bottom of what was going on with his daughter and apparently his son, who kept insisting that one night stands were a good idea. Clarus just hoped Gladio had the sense to wear protection or be willing to accept the consequences of either contracting an STI or becoming a father.  _ Boys. _ Clarus thought to himself, only sympathising with his son. He was no different to Gladio when he was his age. As for Iris… Ummm… he tried his best to get informed on her current affairs without sounding too nosy and nothing alarming came up in conversation. From all the information he got, she was acting normal for a teenage girl her age. However, he did find it a little weird that Iris was currently smothering her bacon with strawberry yoghurt… He spared Gladio a glance and his son didn’t seem confused by what she was doing? Ummmm… was this a new thing the youth were doing now? 

“Iris, really, that is disgusting.” Gladio complained. “First it was grapes and bolognese and now this!” 

“Try it. It is super good!” 

“Never.” 

“Whatever. Daddy, do you want to try some?” Iris asked sweetly. 

“No, I am alright, sweetheart.” Clarus cleared his throat, trying not to retch at the mere thought of eating that greasy sick combination. His daughter was a weird one… and Clarus did not fail to hear what Gladio had stated. It would seem he would need a private chat with his son when Iris went to the toilet or wasn’t in the same room as them for a brief moment during the day. 

“Wussy. The pair of you.” Iris shook her head, quickly taking a sip of her juice. “Actually, dad, Gladdy, do either of you have any painkillers? I haven’t been able to shift this stupid headache since last night.” 

Clarus frowned. “Have you been drinking enough water?” 

“Yep! It just won’t shift. So can I have some?” 

“Yeah squirt, go ask Tom.” Gladio said pulling the same face his dad was pulling. 

Iris had been drinking water and juice all the way through breakfast… 

“Thanks, I’ll be back in a bit!” Iris smiled, hurrying out one of the side doors of the room. 

Both Clarus and Gladio stopped eating. They looked at each other and just by Gladio’s expression, Clarus knew he should be concerned. 

“Dad, did Jared explain she has been withdrawn lately?” 

“He did. Have you managed to talk to her at all about it?” 

“She says it is nothing but, Noctis is also concerned. Something isn’t right with her.” 

They made an agreement there and then to keep more of an eye on her then they usually did. Iris, other than both their lieges, were their life after all. (For Clarus, so was his son) 

Iris smirked to herself as she hid behind the door. 

Things were falling into place.

* * *

The pair of them kept to that agreement and because Clarus thought there was a reason to be concerned he tried his very best to get home for dinner every night for the rest of the week. He was very glad that he did. During the week, Iris was sitting hunched at the dinner table, like she was in pain? When he asked her about it, she brushed it to the side and said she was probably just hungry and she always got lower abdominal pain around this time of the day. Being the overprotective parent that Clarus was, he suggested that Iris see a doctor first thing in the morning because that was anything but normal. Lower abdominal pain could be linked to a number of illnesses, most notably bowel cancer. Thankfully, she agreed and promised to see the nurse as soon as she got to school. Clarus would have prefered it if she came to work with him and got it sorted there… but this was Iris and she knew her mind better than anyone else, so he allowed it. However, if the pain continued and the nurse could not find any cause for it he was taking her to the doctors. end of story. And during work he was so nervous and agitated as he waited for a phone call from her. He loved being a father, he would never not want to be one, but it hurt like crazy when he couldn’t be there for either of them and Iris needed him right now. Because he was so concerned and distracted, he failed to notice both Cor and Drautos as they walked into his office. 

“Lord Amicitia.” 

Staring at his phone, the Captain’s voice went completely over his head. 

“Clarus.” 

Again, Cor’s voice turned into white noise. He looked at his watch and he knew for certain Iris would have been out of the nurses office by now and about to call him. So why hadn’t he received a phone call yet? 

“OI! CLARE!” 

Clarus jolted in his chair when he heard a massive thud. He shook his head seeing a big red thick book in the middle of his desk. He hadn’t put that there… The Shield looked up and finally recognised the existence of the Marshal and the Captain. For them anyway, they both looked concerned and Cor gave him a small wave. 

“Haven’t the pair of you heard of knocking?” Clarus asked, gesturing for them to sit down. 

“We did.” Drautos responded, taking a seat, no longer did he look concerned for the Shield’s welfare. 

“You were in gods only knows what land.” Cor stated, a hint of worry seeping into his conviction as he gave his big brother a semi-comforting look. “You okay?” 

“Yes, of course, I am.” Clarus nodded, removing the heavy book to the side of his desk. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but why are both here exactly?” 

Cor and Drautos spared each other a glance as the Marshal’s face turned into a frown. “You asked us to. Yesterday.” 

“To discuss training and deployment.” 

Clarus blinked. He was so consumed with what was going on with Iris he had completely forgotten about this meeting. “Yes, I suppose I did.”

“Not suppose Clarus, you did. Are you sure you are okay?” Cor asked, debating whether or not to talk to Regis about this later. 

“Yes, yes, I am fine. Let’s get this meeting done and dusted-” 

_ Ring! Ring! _

Clarus cut himself off, answering the phone as quick as he could. He gestured for the pair to remain seated, this would only take a moment, if Iris was right and there was nothing wrong. However, it was not his daughter on the other line. 

_ “Lord Amicitia.” _ An older woman’s voice said.  _ “Hello, my name is Nurse Juno. I am calling in regards to your daughter, Lady Iris.”  _

Clarus gulped, trying to keep his worries at bay as Cor and Drautos were still in the room. “Yes, is she alright?” 

_ “I am afraid not, Mi’Lord. As you are aware, she came to see me about 20 minutes ago, however, I was unable to give her a proper diagnoses as she has been sick-”  _

“I’ll be there in 15 minutes.” Clarus put the phone down, quickly picking up his keys and shoved his coat on. He didn’t allow either Cor or Drautos a moment to process what was going on, let alone speak to him. “Fight amongst yourselves who is looking after Regis today. Tell him Iris is sick.” 

The door slammed behind him and Cor let out a massive sigh. Clarus was the bloody one who had told him since they had first met that he should talk about how he was feeling because it is good to express all emotions. Well, his mighty Lord Clarus Amicitia wasn't doing that now. 

The Marshal rolled his eyes, standing up to take his leave. “I’ll look after Regis.” 

“I don’t mind doing it.” Dratuos shrugged, mirroring Cor’s actions. 

“Yeah, you have Ulric to look after. Believe me, Regis can be worse than him and I don’t fancy looking after any of  _ your _ glaives today.”

“Funnily enough, neither do I.”

* * *

“You didn’t have to pick me up.” Iris said, leaning against the window of the car as they drove through the city back to the manor. 

“Yes, I did.” Clarus said firmly, changing gear. 

“Jared could have done it.” Iris suggested, purposely holding the lower part of her stomach to see if her dad would notice. He did. 

“I wanted to do it. You are my daughter and I love you very much.” Clarus said, hurt pouring into his heart as she thought he was too busy for her. The truth of it, yes he was, but Regis didn’t seem to care that he had abandoned him. In fact, his wonderful King that he was madly in love with, was more than empathetic towards the situation and only sent wishes of good health for Iris and instructed him to have at least another two days off to make sure Iris was well. Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, Clarus let out a sigh. “Do you feel any better now?” 

“Yeah.” Iris shrugged. “I don’t feel ill at all.” 

Stopping at the traffic lights, Clarus stared at his daughter with uncertainty. “I am sorry?”

“I feel great dad. In fact, I feel tonnes better after being sick and my stomach isn’t hurting. I was sick yesterday morning too. It’s not really a big deal.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday?!” Clarus demanded glaring at her, concern bubbling away like molten lava in a volcano. 

“Geez, dad! I am okay! It’s not even real sick, it was bile!” 

“You didn’t think I would like to know this!” 

“I spoke to Amelia and Sean about it. They didn’t seem to think it was an issue!” 

“Sean?” Clarus questioned, eyes narrowing, not noticing the light change from red to green. 

Iris laughed nervously, forcing her cheeks to turn a slight shade of pink. (Absolutely loving the fact she nearly had her dad on a hook line and sinker). “Yeah… Sean. He’s a friend.” 

HONK! HONK!

Clarus grunted, revving up the engine and moving the car forward so the angry people behind him would fucking shut up. He had never heard of this Sean before. Was he new at her school? Why was she only mentioning him now? He’d talk to Gladio about that later. Surely, if this Sean was considered in her friendship group, she would have spoken about it to her brother. 

Once home, he told Iris to go upstairs and go to bed. He said he cared little to how she was feeling now, if she had been sick she was to go to bed, enough said. He made his way to the kitchen, made himself a strong black coffee and texted his son. Unfortunately, when Gladio replied, he too knew nothing of this Sean, which could only mean one thing…. Sean could be his little baby girl’s crush. 

Clarus clicked his tongue at the thought; his - as Cor would put it - Papa-Bear-Clare instinstics were going into overdrive as he forced down a growl. 

No one, NO ONE, was good enough for his daughter. Especially not this Sean! 

_ Time for a background check it would seem….  _


	3. Wool Over Your Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me updating this fic in less than a month!!!!! 
> 
> Actually pretty proud of myself to be fair... XD XD 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this bundle of Chaos!

**Chapter 3:**

Neither Clarus nor Gladio could find anything on this ‘Sean’ because Iris had failed to give them a last name - most likely on purpose because she knew how protective they were of her. She was too smart for her own good sometimes. To make matters worse, there was no one in her year or below her with that name at her school. It set Clarus’s teeth on edge because anyone who had that name was older than her in that school and that did not sit right with the Shield at all! He was already convinced that Iris had grown a liking to this person, and if they were older then her… he was going to blow up! She may act older than her age, she acted older than Noctis did for crying out loud - even Regis agreed with him on that score - but she wasn’t older. She was only 15! And in his eyes, a 15-year-old should not be hanging around or ‘falling’ for people who are 2 years her senior! 

“Clare, are you certain she has a crush on this person?” Regis asked, holding his partner's hands. 

“Yes.” Clarus muttered out, anger rising. “She is 15! And whoever this person is, is older than 17!”

“I know you are concerned, but we were having sex when I was 16. You would have been 21.” Regis pointed out. 

“Yes, dear, but we were a different case. We grew up together, we are sworn to each other, we understood each other. There wasn’t any ill attention or malice behind it. Everything was 100% safe and consensual.” Clarus sighed, and it suddenly dawned on him if anyone became aware of that information - that wasn’t Cor, Cid or Wesk because they knew everything about them - he could actually go to prison for a long time for that… oh shit! 

Regis nodded. “Okay… be that as it may, you could just be overreacting and Iris isn’t crushing over this person. I thought she was still stuck on Noct?” 

“No offence, Reggie, he is as oblivious as an abyss.” 

Regis blinked. “Fair.” 

“But this doesn’t solve my issue!” Clarus said loudly, feeling Regis’s grip on his hands become tighter. “I don’t know what to do…” 

“Oh, Clare.” Regis cooed, kissing him gently. “Don’t stress too much. If you are really concerned you could talk to her about it, or I could if you like?” 

Clarus smiled. “No offence Regis, she loves you, but she doesn’t want you to father her.” 

“I am a dad to everyone!” 

“I know and it’s fucking annoying!” 

Clarus and Regis blinked as they heard the Marshal’s voice snap at the King’s words. 

“Cor!” Regis beamed, gesturing for him to come closer. “What are you doing here?” 

“Come to speak to Clarus.” Cor said flatly. 

That made the Shield's stomach drop. Fear raced up his spine because Cor was training Iris earlier today. 

“Why? What’s wrong?” Clarus asked hastily, not wanting to beat around the bush. 

Cor let out a deep sigh. “I had to stop training. Iris complained that her back was hurting and she nearly passed out.” 

“PASSED OUT!!!” Clarus roared, rising to his feet. 

The only thing that was preventing him from racing out that room was the fact Regis was holding onto his hands and he didn’t want to pull his lover over and allow another person he loved to be hurt. Instead, he looked Cor dead in the eye and demanded he have more information on the matter.

“Where is she?! What happened?!” 

“Clarus, she is fine.” Cor promised, holding his hands up to try and calm him down further. “She said she hadn’t eaten breakfast. It was low blood sugar. And Gladio is with her at the moment.” 

“Clarus, please, my dearest, calm down.” 

Clarus breathed through his nose. He didn’t want to calm down. He wanted to see his daughter immediately. However, he knew Regis wouldn’t let him go until the king was certain he wouldn’t blow up. That was going to be very hard for Clarus to achieve at the moment because just the other night he was going on the internet - which he knew now to be a massive mistake - and looked up his daughter's symptoms. Many horrible medical emergencies were flagged up but the one that made his eyes pop out of his head was something he refused to even consider. However, what Cor had said was making that idea sound more and more plausible because his dead wife had nearly passed out when she was carrying- 

NO! 

He was never going to feed that notion. He didn’t ever want to think Iris had done or be forced into a situation that could lead to that, especially not at her age! 

“Clarus? Are you okay?” Regis’s question pulled him slightly back to reality but he could not lie to his partner or to their joint baby brother. 

“No. I am really, really worried about her.” Clarus admitted. 

Cor and Regis gave each other a brief glance because if they were both honest, they shared Clarus’s worries. 

“I just don’t know what to do… she doesn’t want to see a doctor either.” 

“I can talk to her?” Cor suggested. 

“Would you, Cor?” Clarus said, hope building in his eyes. 

“Yeah, sure.” 

“Hang on a second!” Regis interrupted, sounding slightly offended. “He can talk to her but I can’t!” 

“Reggie, you are shagging her dad. I have always been and always will be uncle Cor.” Cor pointed out, not wanting to deal with his friend’s spike of jealousy. 

Regis crossed his arms and pouted, mumbling something under his breath and it made both Shield and Marshal laugh. _Oh, Regis...._ they couldn’t live with him sometimes, but they 100% could never live without him. 

When Cor left, Clarus just hoped that Iris would confide in him about whatever this was. If not, he had no idea what to do.

* * *

Unfortunately, Cor failed in getting anything out of Iris and both Gladio and Clarus were at their wits end. She wouldn’t talk to them. She was becoming more withdrawn and they were so worried; Clarus was considering calling a doctor about her mental health. Gladio managed to convince his dad against it and asked him if he could have one more shot talking to her privately. Clarus agreed without any haste and waited patiently in his study in their home until his son returned, hopefully, with some news. It didn’t have to be good news, but the tiniest piece of information was better than none by this point. 

“Squirt come on! It’s me! You know you can tell me anything!” Gladio said hotly, getting more frustrated than before as she continued to push him away. 

“Nothing is wrong!” Iris said, remaining persistent to her claim.

“I doubt that!” Gladio yelled back. “I am worried alright. I am so worried because you are my sister. My little sister.” 

“Oh my gods, Gladdy! I am  _ not  _ a baby!” 

“I didn’t say you were! I am telling you that I care!” 

That forced the room into a standstill silence. The only thing that could be heard was the other breathing as they glared at each other. Iris was everything to him and she was blocking him out. It didn’t seem right. None of this was right and that was all Gladio wanted to do. Make whatever was happening in his sister’s life disappear. 

“Look, if you would prefer to tell someone else, like Noct, I will happily ring him-” 

“No!” Iris shouted, and Gladio could sense a hint of fear in her voice. “Please, don’t ring Noct!” 

“Then tell me what the matter is!” 

“Fine!” 

Iris hissed, for the first time since he stepped into the room she looked away from him. 

“It’s kinda embarrassing really.” 

Gladio’s face softened and he sat down on the bed next to her. “Iris… you have got no reason to be embarrassed. I am only here to help you.” 

“You can’t help with this.” Iris said, shaking her head. 

“Let me try?” He asked, hoping that would prompt her. 

“Why I have been in the dumps lately is because I missed my period. It’s simply a hormone imbalance, you can’t help with that.” 

“What?!” Gladio yelled with confusion. “This whole time? This whole time I thought you were depressed! And it turns out you are just skipping your time of the month! Damn! Noctis got it fucking right?!”

“I am sorry?” Iris asked, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“He said it might have something to do with this! For fuck’s sake!” 

As her brother continued on with his rant, Iris was shocked. Because how did the laziest, least observant person in Insomnia have a better idea as to what was going on then her own father and brother?! Men. They were utterly hopeless! Still, the young lady had to hold back a grin because she knew exactly what was going to happen now. Gladio would calm down, go straight to their dad and tell him what was up. And then her mission would be complete. She would have tricked Clarus Amicitia into believing she was pregnant! 

She could not wait to see his face! Would he be mad? Would he be shocked? Would he be calm? Would he cry blue murder?! Iris had no doubt about the last one but other than that she had no clue, all she could do was sit back and wait for the fireworks to begin.

* * *

When Gladio told him, Clarus nearly fainted. 

His mind went blank because it all added up. The mood swings. Eating of weird foods and combinations. The insomnia. Nearly passing out. Back pain. Sickness - morning sickness - and finally, she had skipped her period. 

All the signs were of early pregnancy.

HOW COULD HE HAVE BEEN SO STUPID?! Why didn’t he realise sooner? He had two children himself! And unfortunately, he had seen his late wife go through numerous miscarriages. He knew the signs! And to top it all off, Iris refused to give him any information on this ‘Sean’ character! That individual was the prime candidate for knocking his daughter up! Oh, when Clarus got his hands on him he was going to murder him violently! 

Upon hearing his son’s worried voice, Clarus curled his hands into fists, still thinking about this fucking person. 

“Dad, what’s wrong?!” 

Clarus growled and spoke as calmly as he could, given the information he had just received. “Go into town. Buy a pregnancy test.” 

“What? Why do you want me to-” 

Clarus let out a harsh snarl when his son cut himself off. Both Amicitia men looked at each other, both of them shocked and both of them began to bubble and brew with rage. All that was going through their minds was Iris. They’re Iris. And someone, who was probably a year or two older than her, had - to them at least - taken advantage of her and stolen her innocence. It was unforgivable and both men had murder on their minds. 

However, Gladio wasn’t as enraged as his father yet and could still think straight. “Dad… we could be wrong.” 

“We could.” Clarus said coldly, breathing in deeply. “The only way to find out is by getting a test.” 

“Yeah I will, I promise, but you need to calm down.”

“CALM DOWN!!!!” Clarus roared, his screams literally shaking the room. 

“YES!!!” Gladio yelled back, very conscious that the staff was still around and Iris was in. “We need to think about Iris here. Getting angry, if this is the case, won’t help her!” 

“It will help me!” Clarus seethed, punching the wall as hard as he could. 

“Dad! Stop!” Gladio ordered grabbing his arm. 

Clarus breathed out slowly, not moving in case Gladio was caught in the crossfire of another attempt to punch the wall. 

His mind was reeling, he didn’t register the fact Gladio was helping him sit down, or that he had placed a glass of whisky by his chair. He clasped his hands together and pulled them up to his nose, staring at the floor. He was in shock. Complete shock and he had no idea what to do… having no sisters or aunties and female cousins on either side of his family, Clarus had never, ever had to worry about any of this. Not once had he ever thought that Iris would- and he wasn’t going to think about that either. Anger was soon replaced by guilt and shame. This was his fault. He should have been around more. He should have been a more attentive parent and, he didn’t know, known that her interest in boys didn’t stop at mere glances and stares. He’d failed her. He’d failed Gladio. 

“Clarus?” 

Clarus slowly looked up to see that his son had been replaced with Cor. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Cor said comfortingly, handing him the whisky. 

Clarus didn’t take it. Instead, he stared at his little brother and let out a massive sigh. “I am a failure.” 

“No, you’re not.” 

“Yes, I am.” 

“Gladio caught me up to speed. Clarus. This, if it is the case, can’t be your fault. Sometimes these things happen.”

“But to  _ my _ daughter!” Clarus growled, knocking the glass out of the Marshal’s hand. 

“Yes, Clarus. She is a 15-year-old girl. What was I like when I was 15 or Gladio? Girls and boys are exactly the same when they are that age. They don’t think.” Cor explained calmly, yet sternly.

“She could be pregnant Cor…” Clarus whispered. “She is a child! A child can’t have a child.” 

Cor shrugged. “My mum had me at 15.” 

That did not fill Clarus with any confidence at all. “No offence, how old were you when your dad left?”

“Three.” 

“And how old were you when your mum left?” Clarus asked, knowing the answer was 12. 

“Point proven.” Cor rolled his eyes. “But… neither of my parents had support and I am the biggest shit in the world. Look at Iris, she has you. Gladio, me, Regis, Noctis, the rest of the guard who will defend her to the ends of the earth. She is your daughter, Clarus. Right now, she is probably terrified. She needs you more than ever before. Can you do that? Can you be there for her?”

* * *

Clarus didn’t know how to tackle this. 

After his little pep talk with Cor, Gladio came in with the test and asked the question of how they were going to approach Iris with this subject. 

The answer: with sensitivity.

Being her father, Clarus was the one who had to do this. However, he did ask Cor to stay and calm Gladio down as he could sense his son’s anger begin to spike over the situation. 

He went to his daughter’s bedroom door and knocked three times, hoping to get her attention. He soon heard her voice allowing him to enter. Making sure to place the box behind his back, he held his breath and walked in, sweat forming on the back of his neck. 

“Hi daddy!” Iris sang, sitting on her bed, finding something to watch on her TV. 

Clarus gulped. He actually had to do this. He actually had to ask this of her… 

“Iris, would you mind turning that off a second. I need to talk to you.” 

“Sure.” Iris nodded, turning the TV off as he sat down on her bed. “You alright dad? You look a little pale.” 

Clarus didn’t respond to that. He wasn’t alright. He couldn’t lie to her either. No, they both had to be honest with each other here. 

“Iris… I am not cross with you at all-”

“Cross? What have I done?” Iris shrieked in an offended tone. “Is this Gladiolus! I didn’t take his stupid cup noodle or text any of his one night stands off his phone! He’s making it up!” 

“This has nothing to do with your brother.” Clarus said calmly. 

“Then what is it?” Iris groaned, leaning back on her bed, arms folded across her chest in a huff. 

“Iris, I love you so much, sweetheart, and I am very worried about you.” Clarus explained. “You see, everything that has been happening with you for the past couple of weeks has caused me great concern. As your dad, I just want to make sure you are alright and tell you, I am here to support you no matter what.” 

Iris raised her eyebrow. “Umm… okay dad, are you drunk?” 

“No. But I have an idea what may be troubling you and please don’t be offended.” Clarus shook his head, finally removing his hands from behind his back. “I would like you to take this.” 

Iris’s jaw fell to the floor. “You think I am pregnant?!” 

Clarus closed his eyes, thinking about his words before he spat out the first thing that came to mind. 

“All the symptoms you are having point to pregnancy, Iris. And… you’re 15 years old. A lot of people have- are intimate your age, and I just want to help you, if this is the case.” 

Iris laughed in disbelief. “Oh so when Gladio brings home a girl, he doesn’t get this talk about sex! But the moment I skip one period, which FYI dad, a lot of girls do skip periods. It doesn’t mean they are up the duff!” 

“Sweetheart I am not blaming you or shaming you, I only want to help you-” Clarus tried to explain calmly but the box was snatched out of his hand before he could say another word. 

“I’ll take your stupid test!” 

Iris roared, jumping off her bed as she opened the box, walking towards her bathroom before slamming the door loudly behind her in a rage. 

Clarus held the bridge of his nose. That could have gone so much better. He glanced down at his watch, eyes never leaving it, knowing this was going to be the longest 120 seconds of his entire life. It wasn’t that he never wanted grandchildren. He would love a grandchild but he really hoped he was wrong in his assumption. Iris was too young to be a mother, and if he was wrong, he would be making it up to her for the rest of his life. He could do that. He would do that. Whatever the outcome he would support her, he just really hoped she understood that.

The sound of the door creaking open got his attention and he looked over to the bathroom to see his daughter, staring down at the plastic in her hands, face as white as a ghost. 

FUCK! 

“Iris?” He asked carefully, rising to his feet, slowly approaching her. 

She didn’t answer him. She just stared down at the white stick in her hand. 

Clarus breathed out slowly, placing a hand around her shoulders, before staring down at the stick and to his absolute horror it read: 

“Positive.” Iris gasped, shaking in her dad's hold.

“It’s alright, sweetheart.” Clarus said quickly, pulling her in for a hug, holding her tightly as he felt her tense up and heard her begin to sob. “It’s alright. I am here and I love you.” 


	4. The Truth Will Out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! 
> 
> Look what I found the motivation to finish! Aren't you proud of me?! 
> 
> I am sorry for the long updates I don't know what happens sometimes! But here we are! Please enjoy the conclusion and I hope everyone likes it! 
> 
> Oh and of course thank you to everyone that has supported this and a special thanks to SugarNae again cause let's be real if you didn't prompted me to update this back in November we would probs be on chapter 2 still XD

Noctis was really worried when Gladio told him the news. 

He probably shouldn’t have told him as they wanted to keep this all very hush-hush. They decided that only members of the Amicitia family - which included Cor - should know. And considering his dad was banging Clarus, that automatically meant he was a part of the family too.

He didn’t know what to say or even if he should have any input on the matter! Yeah, maybe it was wrong that Iris had slept with someone older than her but if she wanted the baby she could keep it, right? The topic of abortion had been brought up, as well as adoption and fostering, but at the end of the day, it was completely up to Iris. When Gladio confided in him telling him how angry, upset and worried he was, Noct did his best to comfort him but he was never good at this sort of stuff. Instead, he just sat there as Gladio screamed, shouted, punched some punching bags and let him get it all out. His shield seemed to appreciate just being listened to. That was all Noct cared about. 

After one such session, Gladio dropped him off at his apartment and when he opened the door he was a little confused by who was sitting on his sofa. 

“Iris?” 

_ How the hell did she sneak in here?  _

“Oh, Noct!” Iris wept, bursting into tears burying her face into her hands. 

_ Fuck!  _

What the hell was he meant to do?! 

Silently panicking to himself, Noctis closed the door behind him and carefully sat next to the youngest member of the Amicitia family. He felt so bad and sorry for her. She must be so fucking terrified. Since he was never good with words, he gently placed an arm around her and gave her a hug. She immediately leant into his hold and her tears turned into a full-on sob. 

Nervously, Noctis rubbed her shoulder and did what he could to assure her that everything was going to be alright. “Iris… it’s okay. You got everyone in the Citadel that will support-”

“It’s not real Noct! I am not pregnant!” 

Noctis blinked and moved away from her, a wave of pure shock hit him. 

“What?!”

“I know!” Iris cried, moving away from him. “It’s all a lie! It was never meant to go this far!” 

“Iris, everyone is so worried about you! Our dads are probably having kittens as we speak and it’s all a lie?” Noctis shrieked, trying to explain to her how serious this was. But he could hardly believe a word she was saying?! The Iris he grew up would never do this to her family. “I don’t understand why you would let your dad and brother believe this.” 

“Gladio said I could never trick dad!” Iris snapped, rising to her feet, trying her best to hide the shame on her face from the prince. “I came up with this idea and I managed to fool him! I was going to stop and tell him the truth as soon as he thought what it could be, but I don’t know… I let it carry on and if they find out it is all a lie they will hate me! And dad has booked me an appointment with the doctor’s for tomorrow and-” 

“Okay calm down.” Noctis said firmly, rising to his feet. 

Why the hell did she think it would be a good idea to come to  _ him _ with this information? 

There wasn’t anything he could do to sort this out! She should have told Jared or Cor even! Those two would know exactly what to say and were to take it from here. And she was upset, he didn’t like to see her upset. He didn’t really like seeing anyone sad or hurt. Whenever he was sad or hurt he’d run to his dad-

_ HIS DAD!!  _

Noctis quickly got out his phone and texted Ignis to come and pick him and Iris up straight away and take them to the Citadel. 

“Iris, we got to tell someone.” Noctis said with as much confidence as he could. 

“I can’t. Everyone will be so disappointed in me.” Iris said sadly, wiping her eyes. 

“Let’s face it, Iris, when it comes to teenage pregnancy people are going to be nasty anyway. The only way to sort this out is by telling the truth before the media gets hold of this story!” 

“No!” Iris gasped, staring him in the eye with fear. “I can’t tell my dad, Noct! He’ll be so angry!” 

“That’s why we get someone else to tell him. More specifically, my dad.” 

Noctis explained that if Regis knew, then  _ he  _ could tell Clarus; because let’s face it, his dad and Cor were probably the only people on Eos who knew how to calm Clarus Amicitia down. Telling Cor wasn’t really an option as he was a little on the cold side when it came to feelings and he was never emotional towards anyone. (That Noct had seen anyway) Whereas his dad, Noct knew his dad - although he’d be a little disappointed in her behaviour - would be as supportive as possible and do whatever he could to make things right between father and daughter again. As for Gladio, he offered to deal with Gladio personally so Iris didn’t get screamed at by her brother. 

“I don’t know, Noct…” Iris sniffled, looking at the floor. “Being told off by your dad… I kinda see him like a second parent, y’know. I don’t want him to be disappointed in me either.” 

“Yeah, well, if you tell him that, he’ll be so distracted you see him like a parent he’ll be too happy to care that you lied.” Noctis laughed to himself.

“Really?” Iris said, eyes glistening with a ray of hope. 

“You bet.” Noctis nodded. “Trust me?” 

“I do.” 

Ignis called Noctis not five minutes later to inform him he was outside and the pair quickly got into the car. They made a promise not to say a word during the journey cause as far as they were aware Ignis still had no idea what was going on and for Iris’s reputation, Noctis wanted it to remain that way. It wasn’t like his advisor would judge her, Ignis was too good for that, but he didn’t want to see Iris cry again. 

In the silence, Noctis got his phone out and texted his dad.

_ Noctis _ _ : Dad, are you busy? I really need to talk to you in person. It’s super important.  _

Surprisingly, Noctis didn’t have to wait two hours for a reply like he normally did. In less than 20 seconds he got his answer. 

_ Dad _ _ : Of course! Cor and Clarus will have to wait. Is everything alright? Do you need someone to pick you up? Or would you like me to come to you? _

Noctis let go a weak smile at his dad’s words. There was no way Clarus would ever give his dad clearance to go to his flat with anyone that wasn’t either him or Cor. But the gesture warmed his heart nonetheless. He looked to Iris who was trying her best not to fidget as she looked out the window and Noctis couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. His dad wasn’t going to shout. Noctis could count on one hand how many times he had heard his dad shout, and he always had a good reason to lose his cool. Because she was involved, he was certain his dad wouldn’t blow up. 

He hoped so anyway. 

_ Noctis _ _ : I’m already on the way. Ignis picked me up.  _

_ Don’t worry. I’m okay. Just need a chat.  _

_ Dad: _ _ Alright, my Night Light. See you soon. Love you xx _

Noctis rolled his eyes, was he really going to respond to that? He never usually did as Noct saw it as the end of the conversation and he didn’t need to. His dad knew he loved him- Oh screw it, it would brighten up his dad’s day if he did. 

_ Noctis: _ _ Love you too.  _

Noct put his phone back in his pocket and turned his attention back to Iris. She looked worse then she did before. She was picking at her nails, tapping her foot on the car floor, and switching her gaze anxiously between her window and the front of the car. She must be so scared. 

“Iris.” Noctis said gently. 

She quickly turned her head to face him and Noct could already see the tears starting to build up again. 

“Hey, don’t worry.” He smiled at her. “Everything will be okay.”

She didn’t reply to him. She simply nodded and looked back out of the window. 

Noctis sighed he knew there was very little he could do to change her mind. It didn’t matter if he tried anyway, they were at the Citadel in little to no time and when they got out, Noctis did not fail to notice the schooled expression Ignis shot him. Like fuck was Noct telling him! Gladio would kill him! When or if Iris was ready she’d be the one to do it, no one else had the right to talk about someone else's medical records! Even if it was a lie. 

Once inside the Citadel he was quickly escorted to the King’s private study - along with Iris because he insisted that Regis wanted to see her too the guards did not question it - when he laid eyes on his dad, Noctis could tell he was riddled with concern. The guards left them be and as the door closed, the prince swore he could feel the fear radiating off Iris. She didn’t need to be scared. 

“Is everything okay?” Regis asked, shifted his gaze between the pair. 

Noctis rubbed the back of his neck and gestured to Iris. “We need to talk about the baby situation.”

Regis’s green eyes widened to the size of frying pans and something inside them snapped. The King’s entire body tensed up and Noctis noticed his nostrils flaring. 

_ Oh shit… _ Noctis knew that look. His dad was about to lose it. 

“YOU’RE THE DAD?!” Regis screamed, making Iris jump a mile. 

All Noctis could do was facepalm himself. 

This was not how this conversation was meant to go down.

* * *

Despite Regis’s initial reaction, he did agree that it was for the best that he told Clarus what the hell was going on. He didn’t express any feelings of ill will but Iris could tell he was disappointed. She was disappointed in herself too. She knew she should never have taken it that far. It was cruel and now she had to face the music. 

She returned home, sat in the living area and awaited for her dad's return. 

Before leaving the Citadel, Regis informed her that he would be talking to Clarus immediately and that she should be prepared for him to blow his top off. She expected no less of him. She wasn’t in her dad’s position but she did hear Gladdy and him talking about her ‘delicate condition’ the other night - that conversation was what prompted her to seek Noct’s help - so she had a vague idea how he was feeling about everything. Her dad expressed his fears for her. He expressed how much of a failure he felt for not being able to protect her from a situation like this. That wasn’t what broke Iris’s heart though. What broke her heart was at the end of the conversation where Clarus tried to see some light at the end of the dark tunnel and said that he had always wanted to be a grandad, so he might as well get used to the idea despite her age. Now, that dream was going to be taken away from him because of the lie she had told. She had never felt so much shame in all her life. He was going to be so disappointed. 

Regis was right. 

She didn’t have to wait long for her dad to return. She heard the living room door open, and very hesitantly she turned to face him. 

He couldn’t even look at her. 

Iris gulped, rising to her feet, twiddling her thumbs and bowing her head in disgrace of herself. She was ready for him to scream. She was ready for him to lose his cool. She had accepted this. But he didn’t speak. 

He didn’t say or do anything. As the silence continued to fill the room, Iris only became more fearful and nervous. 

_ Why wasn’t he saying anything?  _

She had to say something. “Dad-”

“Don’t.” Clarus cut her off, voice as cold as stone but weirdly calm. She hadn’t expected to hear him so calm. She didn’t like it. As he spoke in this unsettling cool demeanour, it made her feel so small, smaller than his shouting ever could. “I can’t express enough how disappointed I am in you. I thought I raised you better than this, and I do hope you feel very guilty about the amount of stress you have put myself, your brother, Jared and Regis under.” 

“I do.” Iris responded, looking to the floor with pure disgust of herself.

“Good. Now go to your room. We will talk about this later. And you are grounded for the foreseeable future young lady.” Clarus stated calmly, pointing towards the door. 

“Yes, dad.” Iris’s voice broke as she passed him and he still wouldn’t spare her a glance. 

She had really upset him. In turn, she had really upset herself. 

She ran up the stairs as tears, pushing passed all the servants that tried to speak to her, until she got to her room. She slammed her door, threw herself on her bed and cried. She cried for a good few hours, hating the fact of how disappointed her dad was in her. He was the one person that she never wanted to disappoint and now… did he hate her? Would he ever speak to her again for such a cruel prank? She doubted it. She wasn’t going to blame Gladio for teasing her either about being able to fool their dad! She had no one else to blame here but herself! 

Gladdy…

If her dad was this disappointed in her then what would Gladio think? What would Jared think? She knew Regis was disappointed, the only person who she was certain that had her back was Noct. She didn’t deserve his kindness. She didn’t deserve anyone’s. 

She wept for hours, thinking of ways she could possibly mend this until she heard a tap at the door. 

Iris sat up, rubbing her red stinging eyes, sniffling in her shame. “Come in.” 

The door opened and to her further disappointment it wasn’t Clarus who came in, it was Jared. He had a tray in his hands with a plate of food and a drink on it. She watched as he placed the tray on the side and when he gave her a soft smile, she felt more guilt. He shouldn’t be kind to her. 

“Lady Iris.” Jared began in a gentle tone. “I thought you might be hungry. It’s your favourite.” 

“I don’t deserve it.” Iris wept, wiping her nose on her cover. 

“Everyone needs to eat.” Jared said. “Your father has told me the situation and may I say whatever your reasonings, we all make mistakes. Learning from them is the best thing that will come out of this.”

Iris offered him a weak smile in return. Jared had always been so kind to her. It wasn’t because it was his job to be either. He genuinely cared for her, Gladio and their dad. At least, she knew in all this madness she had a friend. 

“Thanks, Jared.”

“Of course.” Jared replied, walking back over to the door. Before he left he gave her a little more assurance. “I wouldn’t worry too much. Your father will come around eventually.” 

She seriously doubted that but she thanked him all the same before he left her to her own thoughts again. They weren’t happy ones and because Clarus didn’t come and see her, it only cemented the idea in her mind of how disappointed he truly was. She didn’t want that. She wanted to give her dad a hug and apologise to him and for them to be friends again. But he never came to tell her she could leave her room, nor did he come and have a chat with her. 

She didn’t sleep and when dawn broke she decided it would be alright that she finally left her room. Clarus would be up and about soon and she knew they had to talk about this. They had to. Unfortunately, it would seem that Clarus had already left. 

That hurt more than words ever could because he was avoiding her. Her own dad was avoiding her! 

She went into the dining room and ate whatever breakfast Tom laid out for her to have. She wasn’t hungry but she had already decided not to act out or worry her dad ever again to get his attention, so she ate. 

It wasn’t long before Gladio came to join her. 

“Hey squirt.” Gladio greeted her, sitting next to her like he always did. 

“Hey.” She replied sadly. She didn’t look at him but said what needed to be said. “I am sorry.” 

“Why are you sorry?” He asked with a laugh. 

Iris shot him a weird look and raised her eyebrow in confusion. 

_ Cause what the fuck?!  _

“What… you don’t know? Noct said he was going to tell you!” 

“Yeah, he did.” Gladio nodded, picking up the orange Iris had next to her ball of porridge. “So did dad.”

“Then why aren’t you cross at me?” Iris asked, very confused. 

Gladio laughed, ruffling his sister's hair with pride. “Cause you proved me wrong! I will say, it wasn’t what I meant when I challenged you to trick the poor man but you fooled everyone, not just him!” 

Her expression hardened at his words. “This isn’t funny Gladiolus. He is really upset.” 

“Yeah, of course, he is. But don’t worry he is mad at me too. I explained to him further about the whole bet thing.” 

Iris gasped. “No! You didn’t do anything wrong! He can’t blame you for this!” 

“Hey, calm down squirt.” Gladio said, wrapping his sister up in his arms. “I am tougher than I look. I promise he’ll get over this. You just gotta give him time.” 

Iris began to cry again at his words. She held on to her brother tightly, so grateful that he wasn’t mad at her. He should be! Everyone should be! But she wasn’t going to complain! Not when her brother was giving her all the support she needed. 

“Maybe you need to give me top tips on messin’ with him, hey?” Gladio chuckled. 

“No! I am never doing this again!” Iris promised, giggling along to her brother’s laugh. 

“Smart move.” 

That was a promise she intended to keep.

* * *

Clarus broke everything in sight. 

He was still furious! He was beyond furious! How could he have been so blind?! So stupid! He had been tricked! That didn’t happen! Only Cor had the ability to do that and over the years the slippery little ‘immortal’ shit had lost his touch! Clarus thought he wasn’t as dumb as he used to be but apparently, he was! 

As a burst of raw anger crept from his gut and into his throat, he screamed and threw a chair across the room breaking it. 

“Breaking my furniture won’t help.” Regis pointed out with a sigh. 

“Shut up!” Clarus roared, kicking a bin so hard that it bounced off the wall and upon impact, it left a dent in the plaster. “Why did she lie to me?! Why would she do that?! I thought I knew my daughter! I didn’t think she was capable of this!” 

“Noctis and Gladiolus both explained the situation.” Regis reminded him. 

“I know! That’s the other thing! If this was all a fucking prank why didn’t Gladio pick up on it?!” 

After Gladio had explained it fully to him last night, Clarus understood there was no malice behind the prank. Well not towards him anyway. Iris was simply trying to one up her brother. Clarus understood that. He’d been there. He knew the feeling of outsmarting a sibling, it felt amazing. But never, ever would he do something like this! If he took her to a doctor they would probably recommend help for her! Because this wasn’t funny! It was horrible! He… he just didn’t know what to feel or how to think about it at all…

“Dear, come here.” Regis ordered, holding out his hand for Clarus to take. 

Clarus did it without question. He sat down next to Regis and allowed his partner to pepper kisses on his face. That felt nice. Not nice enough to calm him but Regis’s touch always brought him a sense of relaxation. 

“Thank you.” Clarus smiled, kissing him back gently. 

“You’re welcome.” Regis smiled back, holding onto his hands, looking into his eyes. “Now, talk to me.” 

Clarus’s grip got tighter and it all came out. 

He was angry at her for doing this to him and putting him under all that needless stress. He was mad at himself for falling for it. He was upset that she lied. Above all else, he was disappointed. That upset him more. Because he never wanted to feel that way towards any of his children. He never wanted them to know he was disappointed either. All he had ever wanted for his children was to excel and do amazing things with their lives, and now… all he could see was himself being the bad guy for being disappointed for a very reasonable thing. He hated it. He hated it so much. 

“Oh Clare.” Regis said with empathy, resting his forehead against Clarus’s. “It’s okay. You are allowed to feel this way.”

“I know… but she is my daughter, Reg. I caused this because I don’t have time for them. I think that is what is upsetting me the most.” Clarus admitted, hoping Regis didn’t take that badly. 

“You do know, you, Gladio and Iris are welcome to live here. If that would give you more time together, I would happily let you.” 

Clarus smiled and kissed Regis sweetly for his offer. “Thank you. But I highly doubt Noctis would appreciate that. Considering you don’t get to spend enough time with him as the pair of you would like.” 

“You have a point there.” Regis nodded. “But you can fix this. Go and spend time with your children.” 

“I can’t I have-” 

“Work?!” Regis scoffed. “Who is your boss? Me! And I’m telling you to get your beautiful arse home now!”

“I love you.” Clarus said, kissing him full on the mouth before racing out of the door. 

“I love you too!”

Regis called back, getting his phone out of the drawer so he could call Noctis. Because if Clarus was spending the day with his children, Regis was spending the day with his baby too, simple as that. And to the King’s delight, Noctis answered straight away and it made him so happy to hear the pure joy in his son’s voice when he said:

“ _ Hey, dad.” _

* * *

“Iris!” Clarus shouted as he entered his home, not bothering to take off his shoes. It was his house, he could break the rules if he fucking wanted to. “Gladiolus!” 

“Daddy!” Iris called back, running into the hall with her brother close behind her.

“Dad, is everything okay?” Gladio asked, sounding worried. 

Clarus let go a massive sigh, hurried over to them and wrapped the pair of them up in his strong arms. He kissed the pair of them on top of the head and refused to let go. 

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to react badly. I promise to start being around more.” 

“Oh, dad.” Iris said sadly. “I am sorry! This is my fault! It was never an aim to make you feel guilty!” 

“I know. Don’t worry.” Clarus said, hushing her. “I forgive you. I love you both so much and I don’t… I don’t want either of you to ever think otherwise.” 

“We don’t, dad.” 

“Course we don’t.” Gladio smiled, a little confused by what had changed his dad’s mind from being a man consumed with rage to this! It was probably the King’s doing. Gladio made a mental note to thank the man that held his dad’s heart. “We understand and we know how much you care.”

“You shouldn’t have to understand, Gladio.” 

“But we do.” 

“And we shouldn’t lie to you or try and trick you. It’s not nice.” Iris admitted, hugging her dad around the waist tighter than before. “I am really sorry.” 

“I know, my baby.” Clarus said with sorrow. “I know.”

After that, the three decided to sit down and get everything off their chests so they could move on from this. Iris promised to never do something like that again. Gladio promised act more his age and not push his sister into doing stupid shit. Clarus promised to spend more time with them. However, the pair also said that he had to set some time to spend with Regis as well, cause they both had to admit they kinda liked the idea of their dad being with the King and having Noct as a brother, that sounded pretty good too.

“You want me to marry him?!” Clarus exclaimed, taken back by their words.

“Yes!” Iris shouted, happy her dad had finally caught on to that fact. 

“Don’t tell us you haven’t thought about it?”

“Well…” Clarus said, cheeks going pink. 

He had thought about it… but he didn’t know how his children would react. 

“See!” Gladio grinned in delight.

“We can help you plan how you’re gonna do it! And we can get Noct involved too!” Iris cheered. 

“Are you certain you want this?” Clarus asked, still unsure- 

“YES!” 

“Fine!” 

Clarus yelled back at his children’s shouts. 

They were so demanding but he loved them regardless. He was just glad that they were a family again. A family of three. But depending on what Regis said, when he somehow found the courage to ask him, they could be a family of five. 

He liked the sound of that. 


End file.
